Ace's Terrible Day
by Brave orange blossom
Summary: Ace has a terrible day where his bad luck doesn't seem to stop. After Tamazo causes them to get thrown out of a restaurant, Ace loses his temper and yells at him before walking away. Lance finds him at the mapple tree King planted for Ace and turns his day around. They discuss their feelings for each other, and afterwards, Ace talks to Tamazo. Ace/Lance, Lance/Ace. One shot.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Puzzle and Dragons X/Cross

 **Pairing:** Ace x Lance

 **Author Notes:** I've been wanting to write another fanfiction of these two, but I haven't had much inspiration. Rewatching episodes helped, though. I'm also slowly working on my multi chapter fanfiction, but I really wanted to post another one shot.

This story's setting is in the aftermath of what is happening in canon right now. There is one tiny spoiler, but you can easily skip over it.

I hope you all enjoy it!

 **Ace's Terrible Day**

Ace scowled as he walked through the streets of Crocus with Tamazo.

Tamazo looked at him nervously. "Ace?" When the boy turned his head to look at him, he reached out and patted his nearest shoulder with one arm. "I wouldn't worry, tama. There are other restaurants, tama. Those guys just didn't appreciate the business Tamazo brought them, tama."

Ace forced himself not to move as Tamazo patted his shoulder. "That's not the problem here, Tamazo," he said firmly.

"Tama?" Tamazo tilted his head, confused. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a restaurant and turned his head to look. His eyes lit up and began pointing to it. "Look, Ace! There's a restaurant, tama! Let's go inside, tama!"

Ace shook his head, his hands forming fists at his sides as he refrained from yelling at his partner. Tamazo didn't understand. Didn't he realize what happened was his fault?

Tamazo looked back at Ace, confused and a little worried when he didn't respond. "Ace? What's wrong, tama?"

Ace clenched his fists and brought them up to chest level with each fist a shoulder length apart, glaring at his partner. "How can you think of eating at a time like this?" When Tamazo only looked at him confused, he shook his head. "Forget it." He let his fists drop to his sides and walked past the restaurant, ignoring his partner's attempts to change his mind.

As he continued walking with no set destination in mind, he couldn't help but think back on the day's events.

The day had started off well.

The weather was on their side, and Ace and Tamazo had a feeling something good was going to happen.

That is… until they heard about their next mission.

Then everything started going downhill for them (especially for Ace).

The Guild assigned Ace a mission in the glacier region. The glacier region was an area he hadn't been looking forward to returning to. Besides the time when he had his first Guild Dragon Caller exam, he hadn't visited the glacier region.

And for good reason. It wasn't as if there was a lot to do or go see in the vast landscape of ice and snow. The freezing weather didn't help matters much either.

Honestly, it was an area he wanted nothing to do with.

Tamazo had commented that it was the perfect mission for Lance and wondered why the Guild assigned them the mission instead of him.

Ace had scolded Tamazo, but he hadn't been able to stop a smile from forming.

Now, whether the smile was from Tamazo mentioning Lance's name or something else, he hadn't been sure and decided to think about it later.

Lately, whenever Lance appeared (even in conversation), Ace's mind tended to get distracted, and he often found himself in daydreams involving the other. It didn't help that whenever they _did_ meet up (which wasn't as often as Ace would like), he kept getting flustered like a schoolgirl with a crush.

His mission had been to stop a rampaging Icedragon Depth Plesios. The Guild didn't know why the monster was rampaging, but they ordered Ace to stop it, saying the monster could easily make its way towards one of the nearest port cities and cause damage. The monster had already attacked many merchants and Guild Dragon Callers traveling through the area. Luckily, no one had gotten injured, but the Guild had been receiving complaints and pleas to help, giving them no choice but to label the mission as a dangerous, high ranked mission.

The Guild had turned to Ace, knowing they could count on him to complete the mission.

Never mind how dangerous it was, but the fact that the Guild trusted him enough to assign him the mission… Not only that, but the fact that they found him reliable…

It had made Ace feel warm inside, making him smile and stand up straighter with pride. His eyes expressed determination as he declared that he would finish the mission and to leave it to him.

His mission was a success, but it… took longer than it should have.

Upon reaching the glacier region, he and Tamazo headed for the vast expanse of icy water. The temperature had dropped several degrees by the time they spotted the rampaging monster, and while Ace had his heavy blue coat on, he had still felt the biting wind.

Tamazo, who he had tried to convince to put a coat on before they left, had been shivering and pulled Ace's hood down to snuggle up in. While he had lectured Tamazo on not wearing a coat and complained that Tamazo was heavy, he didn't tell him to get off.

Not bringing earmuffs was a mistake. With his hood down, there was nothing to protect his ears from the cold. His partner had tried to protect his ears by trying to cover his ears with his small arms, but all it did was muffle the sounds around him, so he had told Tamazo to stop.

Spotting the monster, Ace had reluctantly taken off his coat and pulled out his red D-Gear. After placing the armor drop in his D-Gear and feeling the familiar armor cover his body, he had flown over to the monster, making eye contact and allowing the dragon to see the emotions expressed in them.

The water attribute monster had calmed down and stopped rampaging, but it had still looked upset. Tamazo had commented once again how this mission was perfect for Lance, and Ace couldn't help but agree with him.

Lance had the amazing ability to communicate with dragons (even ones that weren't his own). It was how he had learned the Egg Drop trafficking organization captured the Lightning Holy Dragon's friends, making him promise to get them back.

Ace had a suspicion of what was wrong and asked the Icedragon Depth Plesios to confirm his thoughts, unable to stop the anger at the thought of the Egg Drop trafficking organization being involved and up to their old tricks.

Icedragon Depth Plesios had confirmed his suspicion, and after making sure his eyes didn't express his anger, Ace had spoken in a soft voice, promising he would get them back.

After making their way to one of the closest port cities, Ace and Tamazo didn't know what to do. Last time this happened, it was mere coincidence that allowed them to find the group's boat. Ace could've easily released Leviathan and searched for boats in the sea, but the only problem with that was that he would stand out, and they would know he was coming.

Tamazo had the idea of disguising themselves as travelers, thinking the same thing could happen again, and someone would come to see if Ace was willing to sell or trade Tamazo. Unsure it would work but understanding that disguises could help, Ace had agreed.

Tamazo's idea of disguises were some long sleeved coats long enough to cover their body. Tamazo also wore a brown hat with his outfit.

Ace had sweat dropped upon seeing their disguises, commenting that this would never work. Even with the hood that came with the outfit, it still wasn't enough to hide his face.

To his shock, the disguises and Tamazo's idea had worked. Of course, Ace only believed it worked because the Egg Drop trafficking organization person who had approached them had somehow never seen Ace's face before.

After that, it was easy to board the ship and find what he was looking for. Recalling the last time this had happened, he took extra care not to let his D-Gear fall into enemy hands lest it ended up in the ocean again.

Only this time would be much worse because there was no Lance to find his D-Gear and save him from his costly mistake.

They had caught him trying to escape, so after a quick battle where Icedragon Depth Plesios came to help, Ace beat them and kept his promise to the dragon by releasing the dragon's friends.

It was strange, but the mission they were on kept reminding him of his first and only mission with Lance. He had pointed this out to Tamazo after the mission was over, and Tamazo had agreed that the mission was like that one. The only difference was that Lance wasn't with them this time.

Since they had left early morning to start the mission and had lunch while waiting for the person to approach them, it was only early afternoon when they finished. Ace and Tamazo had returned to Crocus, intending on exploring the city and visiting Ace's grandmother.

Ace had been looking forward to visiting his grandmother again, but he had been disappointed when he found out she wasn't home. He and Tamazo didn't know when she was coming home, so he had reluctantly told Tamazo they could visit her another time.

As if that wasn't enough, two Drop Impacts had occurred outside the city. The Guild had asked Ace to take care of it, and after stopping the Drop Impacts, he had felt exhausted and wanted to rest.

But as soon as he and Tamazo went back inside the city, he had received a call from Garnet. Garnet was in the city for a concert and demanded Ace come help her out. He had tried to refuse and explain what kind of day he had, but Garnet didn't care, shouting at him to come and hanging up before he could explain anything.

Ace and Tamazo had reluctantly made their way to where Garnet was. Tamazo had complained the whole time about how she could've asked someone else to help her and that he was tired.

Ace had tried to placate him by mentioning that they could go eat something afterwards, and while it had stopped his complaining, Tamazo still looked unhappy.

It was mid-afternoon by the time he and Tamazo finished helping Garnet. In one of her rare gestures of kindness and sympathy, Garnet offered to take them out for ice cream, claiming it was to thank them for their help.

Something like that didn't happen often, and Ace had felt tempted to accept her offer, but Tamazo had complained he wanted more than just ice cream. He had tried to reassure his partner that they would go somewhere else after eating the ice cream, but Tamazo had refused, crossing his arms in front of the place where his chest would be and declaring he wouldn't move until Ace agreed to take him somewhere else.

Ace had rolled his eyes, feeling irritated by Tamazo and his attitude. He knew it was just the combination of a long day and wanting to rest that was causing him to feel irritated, but he couldn't stop himself from snapping at Tamazo, telling him to follow him.

After apologizing to Garnet and promising to return the favor sometime, they had left in search of a restaurant that would satisfy Tamazo's stomach.

He thought that Tamazo's complaining would lessen after they found a restaurant, but it only got worse. After finding a restaurant that 'suited Tamazo's tastes and had delicious food', they had to wait in line outside the restaurant.

Of course, Ace had grumbled to himself, Tamazo _had_ to pick the restaurant with the longest line.

They had waited patiently for only a few minutes before Tamazo started complaining again. Ace had tried his best to shush his partner, but it was to no avail. The white egg-shaped dragon's complaints only grew in volume the longer they waited, bothering everyone around them.

Ace's cheeks had flushed a light pink as he yelled at his partner in front of everyone. After scolding his partner for his unacceptable behavior, he had hastily bowed in every direction, apologizing profusely for his partner's behavior.

Thankfully, everyone else waved off his apologies, commenting how polite he was. They even laughed a little when Ace turned towards the wall beside him and apologized, mistakenly thinking another person was standing beside him.

Thoroughly chastised by Ace, Tamazo had hung his head, apologizing in a sincere tone. It had seemed even he had known he was wrong to act that way (especially in public with other people around). Tamazo apologized to everyone and even made the same mistake as Ace, making the crowd laugh once more.

The young Dragon Caller had let out a relieved breath, grateful no one took offense and chose to make a scene. He even managed a small smile as Tamazo turned to him and apologized once more. Unused to seeing Tamazo like this and wanting him to return to his cheerful (and noisy) self, he patted his partner's head and forgave him. He had asked if Tamazo was willing to wait to eat at the restaurant, pointing out that there were other restaurants that had shorter lines.

But Tamazo had stubbornly shaken his head, proclaiming he would prove Ace wrong and show him that he could be patient.

Ace had sweat dropped at the other's words, but he had agreed to wait with him.

They didn't have any problems after that, and although it took longer than either of them wanted, they were finally inside the restaurant and sitting down at a table. Ace had felt pleasantly surprised by Tamazo's behavior. While they had waited, Tamazo had complained a couple more times, but his voice never reached the volume it was before. After his third complaint, his eyes had lit up, turning to Ace and wondering what delicious food the restaurant had. He had spent the rest of the time puzzled on what to choose to eat.

Ace had believed his day was finally turning around.

But of course, fate proved him wrong as a waitress dressed in the restaurant's uniform, who was about to pass their table, tripped over her feet and accidentally dumped the ice cream sundae on her tray onto Ace's head.

Upon realizing what she had done, the waitress had visibly paled, looking horrified. A few moments later, she had bowed to Ace, apologizing profusely for what she had done.

Ace's bad mood from earlier had returned with the incident. Tamazo had the nerve to start laughing, exclaiming that it was a good look for Ace and that the sundae looked delicious. While struggling with the temptation to glare at his partner, Ace had looked at the waitress and waved the accident off, forgiving her. He also made sure to ask if she was alright and managed to smile a small smile when she replied that she was alright.

It was an accident. The waitress didn't deserve his anger.

Shooting his partner a glare, he had gotten out of his seat and walked off to find a restroom to wash everything off his head and face. The last thing he heard before closing the restroom door was the waitress apologizing to the customer who had ordered the sundae and reassuring them by claiming that the next sundae was free of charge.

The world, Ace had thought while washing his head and face in the restroom, was out to get him for some reason.

Had he offended a god or… _fate_ without realizing it? If so, he was willing to bow and apologize for as long as they wanted to stop the bad luck coming his way.

Shaking his head at his thoughts and wanting to believe in the possibility that his day would turn around, he had smiled at his reflection in the mirror before walking out of the restroom.

His smile and positive attitude, though, didn't last long. The first thing he heard when he exited the restroom was a squeaky, cheerful voice asking for everything on the menu. His feet had stopped, his smile disappearing.

Everything? Tamazo wasn't serious, right? He didn't have that much money.

He had quickly made his way back to his table where a cheerful Tamazo and a nervous looking waiter greeted him. His mouth had opened, unsure whether to try and laugh off his partner's remark or demand that Tamazo quit joking.

But only a groan escaped his lips as Tamazo once again repeated that he wanted everything on the menu. He then turned to look at Ace, asking what he wanted to eat.

In a firm voice, Ace had told Tamazo that he couldn't have everything on the menu.

Predictably, Tamazo had started complaining, not listening to Ace's protests about not having enough money.

They had started arguing, and the argument between them started spiraling out of control as Ace threatened to leave the restaurant.

After that, everything was a mess.

Ace couldn't remember everything he had said to Tamazo, but he distinctly remembered the manager approaching their table and threatening to throw them out if they continued to disturb the other customers. Feeling thoroughly chastised and embarrassed by his appalling behavior, he had bowed deeply to the manager and everyone around them, apologizing for the ruckus.

Tamazo, though, had taken the threat as a challenge, loudly proclaiming the manager wouldn't go through with it.

Ace wasn't too surprised when several moments later, the manager had thrown them out of the restaurant. The manager's ire didn't relent even as Ace (once again) apologized for his and Tamazo's behavior.

The final straw was when the manager scolded them in front of everyone, banning them from returning to the restaurant in the future.

Exhausted, angered, and mortified by Tamazo's behavior, Ace had glared an icy glare at him before walking away from the restaurant.

Tamazo, who had been shouting at the manager's back about how rude the manager was, had turned to him confused, eyes widening at the glare and his partner leaving him behind.

With everything that had happened throughout the day (especially with what happened while they were waiting in line), Ace thought Tamazo learned his lesson, but as he watched Tamazo point out the different restaurants they passed, exclaiming they should eat there, he was certain Tamazo hadn't.

He closed his eyes, shaking his head.

This was one of the worst days he had ever had. And some of it was Tamazo's fault.

He opened his eyes, unable to stop the glare as Tamazo looked at him confused and worried. At his partner's question about if he wasn't feeling well, he stopped walking in the middle of the street.

 _Enough is enough_.

Ace turned to Tamazo, clenching the fists at his sides once more. "What is wrong with you?" he yelled, furious.

Tamazo, who had stopped with him, looked taken aback by his anger for a few moments before looking confused. "Ace? What's wrong, tama?"

"What's wrong? _What's wrong_?!" Ace's temper and patience had worn thin, and while a part of him recognized this wasn't the best place to scold his partner, he couldn't stop himself.

Tamazo flinched at his volume, his ears and wings visibly drooping at the anger directed towards him. Ace could see in his eyes that he wanted to say something, but thankfully, he didn't say anything.

" _Everything_ is wrong! We got _thrown out of_ and _banned_ from a restaurant! Don't you realize that? I'll _gladly_ take some of the blame because I know I was in the wrong, but what about you, Tamazo? You didn't even _apologize_. Why can't you realize that while I'm used to your behavior, other people aren't? You better _reflect on_ what you did wrong. Because I'm _tired_ of accepting the blame and _having to apologize for_ _everything that is your fault_!"

During his rant, Ace had noticed Tamazo had wide eyes, visibly shrinking away from him. It wasn't until he finished, though, that he felt angry and… _disgusted_ with his own behavior.

This was no way to act towards his partner (even if Tamazo had been in the wrong). What good was scaring his partner?

What was wrong with him?

Wanting to yell or punch the nearest wall, he cursed, turning away from Tamazo and walked away, feeling ashamed of what he did. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't trust that he wouldn't explode again.

It was better to walk away, calm down, and apologize later. One side of his mouth turned up in an ironic smirk.

After doing so many things wrong that day, he finally did something right.

Even if that meant he had to leave Tamazo behind.

ZZZ

Ace closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the tree behind him. His ears picked up a few joyful monster cries, but other than that, there was no other noise around him. The wind blew through the area, rustling the leaves above him as well as his hair.

It really was a wonderful day.

The sun was out, but it wasn't hot or humid enough to make it uncomfortable. There were also some white, puffy clouds that occasionally covered the sun. The wind also helped keep it from being too hot.

He opened his eyes and looked at the small dragon sitting beside him.

He wasn't too surprised when Tamazo had followed him, but it had seemed Tamazo finally understood he was in a foul mood, and instead of talking cheerfully and pointing out restaurants again, he was quiet.

It was strange to see a quiet Tamazo, but it was something Ace was grateful for.

After yelling at Tamazo and storming off, Ace had kept walking until he left the city. To his surprise, he had found himself at the mapple tree his father planted for him.

It was as he had said before to Charo.

He could feel his father through the tree, and despite his lingering anger, he could feel it slowly melting away the longer he stayed at the tree.

No doubt, the Guild would ask him to go on another mission soon. They did have a world to save, and a Dragon Caller couldn't afford to sit back and relax all day.

But for now…

He just wanted to relax (especially after the day he had).

Ace could almost envision his father before him, telling him it was alright to relax and recharge sometimes. The corners of his mouth twitched upward into a smile.

Upon arriving to the mapple tree, he had thought Tamazo would immediately fly over and grab a fruit to eat, but instead, he followed Ace silently and sat down when Ace did.

Normally, he would've questioned his behavior, but there was a hopeful part of him that thought Tamazo was quiet because what he said finally got through to him, and he was now thinking about his appalling behavior.

Maybe a nap would help change his mood around.

His eyes closed once more, enjoying the near silence of the area.

After he took his nap, he would start thinking about the best way to apologize to Tamazo.

Tamazo looked at Ace, relieved to see him sleeping.

Ace had a terrible day. If food wasn't enough to turn his mood around, a nap would help.

Speaking of food, Tamazo was starving. He looked up at the leaves and fruit above him. It would be easy to fly up and…

He looked away, shaking his head. If he did that, he might wake Ace with the noise.

And he had promised himself that he would think about what he did wrong.

Ace wouldn't yell at him like that for no reason. He had been furious with him, and as he was looking back on the day's events, he was starting to see why.

Once Ace woke up, he would have to apologize and make it up to him somehow. Something Ace had mentioned before gave him an idea on how to start, but he didn't want to leave Ace alone.

He could always do it later.

His eyes closed, intending on taking a nap as well, but just as he felt comfortable enough to fall asleep, his ears picked up the sound of someone approaching them.

His first thought was they could wake Ace up, making his eyes open. He flew up from his spot and looked at Ace. Thankfully, he was still asleep. He turned around to confront whoever was approaching them, intent on protecting Ace and his sleep.

"Tama?" His eyes widened, recognizing the familiar figures of Lance and Devi and flew over to them, so they could talk away from the tree.

Once they were close enough to speak to each other, both parties stopped. Before the other two could explain why they were here to wake Ace, Tamazo glared the sternest glare he could muster. "What are you doing here, tama? I won't let you wake Ace up, tama."

Lance and Devi blinked at the white dragon's words, surprised. Lance's eyes immediately looked away from Tamazo to look at the brunet sleeping behind him.

"What are you talking about, white dumpling? We're not here to wake Ace up, devi," Devi said, confused.

"Then what are you doing here, tama?" Tamazo asked rudely. Ace would've scolded him for his rudeness if he was awake, but he didn't care about being polite. He would protect Ace.

"You are being rude to Lance-sama, devi! And we can do whatever we want, devi!" Devi said, irritated.

"No, tama! I won't let you disturb Ace's rest, tama!"

Devi's eye twitched, feeling annoyed by his light counterpart. "Devi already said we're not here to wake him up, devi!" Was the white dumpling even listening to him?

"Tama will fight you if you get too close to Ace!"

"Fight? I'd like to see you try, devi. You wouldn't stand a chance against me or Lance-sama by yourself, devi."

The two Tamadora quickly got into an argument that only grew in volume the longer it continued.

Taking his eyes off Ace and resisting the urge to sigh, Lance spoke up. "Be quiet, Devi."

Tamazo and Devi quit arguing at the sound of Lance's voice. Devi looked over at Lance with sad eyes. "Devi…"

Tamazo couldn't help but grin smugly as Lance scolded Devi. His grin disappeared as Lance looked at him, though. "Tama?"

"And _you_ ," Lance said, narrowing his eyes. "Do you want Ace to wake up?"

Tamazo glanced at the brunet sleeping behind him before speaking. "Tama wasn't trying to wake Ace up, tama."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Yet you would've if you two continued your pointless argument."

Tamazo opened his mouth to argue, but a look from Lance made him change his mind. Well, now that Lance was here, he wouldn't have to worry about Ace being alone. "Tama has to go and do something. Stay here and look after Ace, tama."

Before Lance could speak up, Devi cut in to the conversation, his eyes narrowing at the other's nerve. "How dare you speak to Lance-sama like that, devi! That is no way to ask for a favor, devi!"

"… Alright."

Devi's eyes widened, turning his body to look at Lance. "Lance-sama!"

"Hurry up and finish whatever you have to do and come back. Ace will wonder where you are."

Tamazo nodded. "I won't forget this, tama!" He flew past them, heading in the direction of the city.

"Why did you agree, Lance-sama? He was so rude to you, devi," Devi said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and glaring in the direction Tamazo went in.

"Devi. Go after him. I don't want him to cause trouble," Lance said, ignoring his partner.

Devi almost groaned. What did he do to deserve this punishment? Well, it was true that the white dumpling would cause trouble if left alone in Crocus, but why did _he_ have to babysit him? "… Yes, Lance-sama," he said, reluctantly.

"Call me if something is wrong," Lance said, already turning to look at Ace.

Devi put one of his small arms up to his forehead, creating a salute. "Roger, Lance-sama."

Lance nodded and watched out of the corner of his eyes as Devi flew back towards Crocus. A few moments later, his eyes went back to Ace. He walked over, keeping his eyes on the younger boy.

Once he was close enough, he sat beside him, careful not to make any loud noises. He turned his head to look at him, surprised to find blue eyes looking at him wearily.

"Lance?" Ace rubbed his eyes with one hand, sounding as if he were half-asleep. A warm presence beside him had woken him up. At first, he thought it was Tamazo, but he quickly realized it couldn't be Tamazo because the body beside him was larger than him.

Lance was here? Was this a dream or reality? Come to think of it, Lance was in his dream as well.

Maybe he was still dreaming.

This wasn't what he had in mind when Lance wanted to meet up with Ace again, but if he were honest with himself, he didn't mind. Ace looked exhausted, his head already dropping towards his chest as his eyes started closing once more. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up," Lance said. He cursed inwardly for waking Ace up.

At least the two Tamadora weren't around to watch his mistake.

Ace struggled to stay awake, but the day's events had taken a toll on him and his body. All he wanted was to sleep.

Besides, there was no one he trusted more than Lance, and while they had their rivalry going on, he found he didn't mind Lance seeing him in such a vulnerable state.

"Alright. Good night," the brunet murmured. Instead of leaning his head back against the tree, he let his head rest against Lance's shoulder. He felt Lance tensing at his touch, making him frown. "Sorry. Is this okay? I can move."

It was just the surprise at Ace touching him that made Lance tense at his touch. It wasn't an unwelcome touch, and he wanted to make sure Ace understood that. He relaxed at the touch and cleared his throat. "No. This is fine." Unable to stop himself, he reached out with one hand and adjusted Ace's head, wanting him to be comfortable.

A smile formed on Ace's face at Lance touching him. "Are you sure? I can move if you want me to."

"If it is you, I don't mind. I trust you the most," Lance said, letting his hand drop and looking away.

The brunet laughed softly, finding the other's actions cute. "I trust you the most as well." Before he gave in to the temptation of sleep, he couldn't help but make one more comment. "I'm glad you are here, Lance."

Lance's pale cheeks flushed a light pink. "… Hurry up and go to sleep."

Ace laughed at his response, deciding to relent. His eyes closed, feeling comfortable with Lance by his side. The last thing he heard was Lance threatening to push him off his shoulder if he refused to fall asleep, making another smile form on his face.

Lance looked back at Ace, almost letting out a relieved breath upon seeing him asleep. His eyes softened upon spotting him in a peaceful sleep. His hand reached out around the back of the younger boy's waist and pulled the younger boy closer to him. Now, there was hardly any space left between them. He almost left his hand on the younger boy's waist, but he forced himself to pull away reluctantly.

Ever since Ace had… saved him, he kept feeling this magnetic pull towards him. He kept wanting to spend time with him. He found himself enjoying his time with him and never wanted it to stop. A Dragon Caller's duty never stopped, though. They had a world to save. But lately, whenever he finished a mission, he found himself checking to see if Ace was in the area and not on a mission. And if so, he would agree to meet up with him.

He kept expecting Devi to complain or point out how odd he was acting, but Devi never did so. Devi always complained about having to meet up with Ace's Tamadora partner, but only the two of them could hear the underlying fondness in his tone. He knew just like how he was fond of Ace, Devi was fond of Ace's Tamadora partner.

His feelings ran deeper than that, though. It was odd (and yet somehow fitting) how much he cared for Ace. It took him a while before he finally figured out how deep his feelings were and could recognize what the feelings meant, though.

He had never spoken to Devi about it, but knowing his partner, Devi probably already knew about his feelings for Ace and was just waiting for him to admit it.

In the past, Devi had no problem telling him his feelings about Ace. Most of it was negative, but he hadn't minded. He had felt glad Devi felt comfortable enough to share his feelings with him. But lately, Devi hadn't said anything negative about Ace, and he had to wonder if it was due to… recent events or something else.

The last time Lance had met up with Ace, he had a conversation with Devi before meeting up with him. Even now, he wasn't sure what made him do it, but he remembered asking Devi what he thought of Ace.

Devi had been quiet for what seemed like several minutes. Just as Lance had thought he wouldn't answer, Devi had turned to look at Lance and opened his mouth.

" _He makes you happy, Lance-sama."_

Devi hadn't said anything else, and Lance hadn't prodded him to say more.

Those words were more than enough for him, and he had come to the realization that Devi knew about his feelings for Ace… _and approved_.

Lance was grateful and glad for his partner's support and approval. Not that he needed Devi's approval, of course, but it was a nice feeling to know that he did receive it.

The only thing left was to let the boy sleeping on his shoulder know about his feelings, but he kept finding excuses not to tell him. It didn't help that whenever he tried to hint at something, Ace was oblivious to it.

If Ace had caught on to his hints, it would be easier for him. He had been trying to find some type of proof Ace felt the same way as him, but to his frustration, he hadn't been able to find any. Ace acted the same way around him as he did around his other friends.

And it was frustrating.

He didn't want to… confess his feelings for Ace out loud. Everyone knew he wasn't good with words. If he tried to… confess, he would undoubtedly make a mistake or somehow push Ace away without realizing it.

His head leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes.

Maybe it was for the best.

Maybe fate was telling him to live in the moment and enjoy his current relationship with Ace.

And he was. He enjoyed his current relationship with Ace, but some part of him kept wanting more.

And that part of him kept growing the longer he spent time with Ace. While there was no more Dominion around, there were still criminals and other dangers around.

His instincts kept demanding him to protect Ace.

Ace was strong and could protect himself. He knew this.

But his instincts kept looking out for Ace, and if it were possible at the time, he would try to protect Ace. He found himself dashing over to Ace to help him during missions before he even realized what was going on. Thankfully, he would realize what was going on before it was too late and turn around, scolding himself and his legs for being foolish.

Hearing familiar voices come towards them, he opened his eyes and sat up, spotting Devi and Ace's Tamadora partner.

It seemed Ace's Tamadora partner had finished whatever he needed to do.

As they came closer, Lance's eyes narrowed, shooting them an icy glare.

Spotting Lance's glare, both Tamadora immediately stopped talking. They could've continued their conversation in whispers, but instead of speaking to Devi, Tamazo stopped in front of Lance, lifting a small arm to touch the area beneath the pink oval marks on his face.

The image reminded Lance of whenever Ace scratched his cheek sheepishly. The comparison almost made him smile. He raised an eyebrow, silently gesturing for the small dragon to speak.

"… Thank you, tama. I won't forget this, tama."

Lance nodded. "It's no problem." Was that it? It didn't seem that way to him. He watched as Tamazo moved his arms and repeatedly made them touch. It was such an Ace gesture that he barely stopped himself from smiling. "… Was there anything else?"

Tamazo looked over at Ace for a few moments then looked back at Lance, his eyes narrowing. "If you hurt Ace, I won't forgive you, tama."

Lance blinked at his words, surprised. It took him a few moments to register them, but when they did, he shook his head at what the Tamadora was implying, unable to stop his cheeks from flushing. "We aren't like that."

But instead of replying, Tamazo only glared at him threateningly and flew back over to Devi.

The two Tamadora picked some of the fruit to eat and flew over to a spot where they wouldn't wake Ace up, giving their masters some privacy.

Lance wasn't afraid of Ace's Tamadora partner's threat. In fact, it only made him smile a small smile as he realized what it meant.

He had given Lance his approval.

Like with Devi, it was a good feeling to have the small, white dragon's approval.

Movement next to him caught his attention, making him look at Ace.

Ace opened his eyes, feeling confused. He had dreamt of a warm presence beside him. It wasn't just any warm presence, though.

It had been Lance.

His presence made him feel safe and happy. He felt comfortable around him.

But it had been a dream, making him feel disappointed. He wanted to see his rival again. His rival showing up would turn his day around.

He imagined Lance showing up by arriving by his transport dragon and jumping off, his cloak fluttering as he did so. And they would talk about their latest missions. Lance would say how he had no problems with his missions and act like the showoff he was.

Ace couldn't help but laugh at his imagination. It had been a while since he called Lance a showoff. But he supposed that was a sign of how their relationship had progressed and how he got to know the real Lance.

"What's so funny?"

The familiar, deep voice above him almost made him yelp.

Come to think of it, his head was lying on someone's shoulder. Why did that voice sound strangely familiar? Determined to apologize and thank whoever it was, he shifted a little to see the other person's face.

Upon seeing Lance looking at him, though, he yelped and sprung away as if Lance had burned him. His face turned pink at the realization that he was sleeping on Lance's shoulder. "L-Lance?" He felt like burying his face in his hands. Did his voice really come out as a… _squeak_?

This could not be happening.

Lance looked at him, amused. Was Ace really… _blushing_? "Ace…" He couldn't help but notice the small distance Ace had created between them, feeling disappointed the younger boy wasn't sitting close to him anymore.

Grateful Lance didn't ask him about the color of his face, he quickly tried to explain himself. "I'm sorry. I-I didn't know I was lying on your shoulder. If I had known, I would've gotten up right away. I just assumed you were one of my friends. Not that you aren't my friend. You know you are. I just… I was surprised. To see you," he said lamely.

… Well, _that_ could've gone better.

Ace felt like yelling at himself. _Why_ did he choose now of all times to act flustered around his rival? Lance would either misunderstand, or he might assume something Ace wasn't ready to confront yet.

To his relief and confusion, Lance only shook his head. "I didn't mind." At his confused look, Lance elaborated. "I told you it was alright to do that."

 _Huh_?

That… wasn't possible. Ace would've remembered if Lance had… given him permission to rest his head on his shoulder.

Noticing Ace's baffled look, Lance barely stopped himself from chuckling. "You probably don't remember since you were half-asleep at the time."

Ace's eyes widened, his cheeks flushing pink much to the other's amusement.

 _No way_.

What Lance was saying sounded like what happened in his dream.

Barely managing not to squeak, he shook his head. "No. That… That was a dream. There is no way that happened."

Lance almost shrugged. "It did happen, though." He was acting calm outwardly, but inwardly, he felt his heart drop at Ace denying it.

"No. That… was a dream," Ace said weakly. Even as he tried to deny it, he knew it was the truth, though. No wonder he felt safe and happy when he woke up. "Why?"

Lance raised an eyebrow. "… Why what?"

"Why did you let me? It didn't bother you?"

The white-haired boy hummed, thinking about his answer. He felt relieved Ace finally accepted what happened. As for his question, there were many ways to answer it. He could easily tell the other boy that he let him because he needed sleep, but the part of him that yearned for Ace's presence protested, saying it was now or never. He looked away from Ace and looked over at the two Tamadora sitting at a distance. They had given him their approval. Surely that meant something? He looked back at Ace, his eyes softening. "I let you because I care about you."

Ace's eyes widened at the answer. While he knew Lance thought of him as a friend, Lance had never said anything like that before to him. He was about to thank Lance or return the sentiment, but his breath caught in his throat, almost gasping at the soft look he was giving him.

He had seen a similar soft look before. Lance would always give that look towards dragons. It was a look that conveyed his affection and kindness.

But there was something different about this look.

Lance wasn't just conveying his affection for him. This look felt much more… _intimate_ for some reason. It was as if the look was just for him.

Maybe this was a sign. If Lance was ready to confront this situation head on, he had to do the same.

Belatedly noticing he hadn't spoken yet, his mind raced for something to say. An idea popped into his head as his gaze looked down to look at Lance's hands.

Letting out a deep breath, he looked back up at Lance and nervously reached a hand out. Lance's eyes widened as their hands touched. His mouth opened as Ace held his hand.

Although he was still feeling nervous over his bold action, Ace couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face, celebrating inwardly at Lance's reaction. It wasn't often he managed to catch Lance off guard.

But it didn't last long as Lance closed his mouth, his eyes returning to their normal calm state. He looked away to hide his flushed cheeks.

Ace felt disappointed it didn't last long, but he wasn't too surprised. Lance was amazing at keeping his composure even in the worst of times, and he had no problem getting it back on the rare times he lost it.

Lance glanced back at their hands. Ace had surprised him. He didn't think the brunet would hold his hand. A hopeful feeling grew in his chest. After all this time, had he finally received a sign of Ace's feelings? Unable to wait any longer, he looked back at Ace, reaching out with his other hand and pulled him closer. He couldn't stop the smile from forming as Ace didn't resist and wrapped his free arm around him.

Keeping his arm around him, he let go of Ace's hand and boldly cupped Ace's cheek. Ace didn't mind, wrapping his free arm around him and leaning into the touch.

He kept wanting more, though. After all this time, he had finally received a sign of Ace's feelings. And now that he knew them, he was impatient.

Could one blame him after how long he waited for Ace?

Lance wasn't good at waiting patiently, but he had forced himself to wait, not wanting to scare Ace off by doing something untoward.

And now he could touch Ace as much as he wanted. It was a good feeling, and he felt happy and grateful Ace chose him.

He knew he should feel satisfied with everything that had happened already, but he wasn't. He wanted more.

It was because of that feeling that he leaned down and kissed Ace on the lips.

Ace's heart raced at the contact. Lance's lips were soft and warm. His eyes closed and immediately responded by kissing him back. Both were content with the closed mouth kiss. This was new to them, and they had all the time in the world to figure it out. There was no need to rush things.

After they pulled away for a breather, Lance smiled at him. While he wanted to kiss Ace again, he didn't trust himself to keep it light and innocent. He didn't want to go too fast for Ace.

Ace couldn't look away from Lance's smile. It was the softest and gentlest smile he had ever seen on his rival's face. It was so tender and… _beautiful_.

And it was just for him.

He smiled back at Lance and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Lance." He wasn't sure what he was thanking him for since it could've been for many different things, but all he knew was he had to say it.

And while Lance didn't know what he was thanking him for, he hummed and moved his hand from Ace's cheek to his head. After pulling him closer and feeling Ace's head rest on his shoulder, he leaned in towards the ear closest to him. "It's no problem," he muttered, feeling pleased and a tad smug as the younger boy shivered.

Both boys felt happy their feelings were finally out in the open and hoped this relationship would last forever.

ZZZ

Ace yawned, rubbing his eyes. His head leaned back against the tree, eyes on Lance who had let go of him to speak to Devi about something.

Lance's warm and protective embrace had made him sleepy, and despite already taking one, he hadn't been able to stop himself from closing his eyes and taking another nap.

When he had woken up, his eyes had widened upon seeing Lance taking a nap.

Lance's face had looked free of tenseness. He had looked… _content_.

Now, whether it was because he was sleeping, or it had something to do with him, he didn't know.

His cheeks flushed pink at the thought that it could've had something to do with him.

"Ahh~ Ace's cheeks are pink, tama!"

His eyes widened, hearing that familiar squeaky voice. He looked beside him to see Tamazo floating by his shoulder and looking at his cheeks closely. "Tamazo!"

"Ace is thinking about Lance again, right, tama?"

Ace paled, looking horrified. Did Tamazo see them? He had never spoken to the dragon about his feelings for Lance. He brought his two index fingers together and made them touch repeatedly. "Um, Tamazo. I have something to tell you."

"Tama already knows about you and Lance, tama!"

The brunet couldn't help but roll his eyes. _Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Tamazo_. The small dragon obviously knew about him and Lance if he had seen them. That wasn't what he had been trying to say, though. He nervously looked over at Lance to see him talking to Devi about something then looked back at Tamazo. "About me and Lance…" He paused, wondering how to word it.

Tamazo huffed, pointing one of his arms at himself. "Who do you think I am, tama? Tama already knew about Ace's feelings for Lance before today, tama."

" _Eh_?!" Ace's voice rose to a shrill, making Tamazo wince. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted Lance and Devi halting their conversation and looking at him, curious. His cheeks flushed once more, hastily trying to gesture everything was alright.

Devi rolled his eyes, assuming the white dumpling had something to do with it and returned to his conversation.

Lance, though, kept his eyes on Ace even as he talked to Devi.

Ace cleared his throat nervously. Something about having Lance's attention made him unable to remember what he had been doing before. That intense and passionate, yet somehow soft gaze didn't relent even as the brunet mustered a small smile.

A white arm entered his vision and waved slightly to get his attention. He jumped, looking back at Tamazo.

Tamazo pouted, crossing his arms. "Don't ignore me, tama," he complained.

Ace rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Tamazo. You surprised me." He remembered what they had been talking about before and resisted the urge to continue his flustered action from earlier. "What do you mean you already knew about my… f-feelings for Lance?"

Tamazo grinned smugly, pointing to himself again with one arm. "Tamazo knows everything, tama. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be able to do anything by yourself, tama."

Ace narrowed his eyes. "Tamazo, don't get full of yourself."

The white dragon lifted one arm to touch the area beneath the pink ovals on his face. "Teehee."

Ace shook his head at his Tamadora's behavior. "What do you mean you already knew?"

Tamazo grinned cheerfully. "Ace is horrible at hiding his feelings, tama."

"… Thanks, Tamazo," Ace muttered sourly.

Tamazo's eyes turned serious, surprising the brunet. "Of course Tama already knew about your feelings for Lance because I'm always with you, tama."

Ace blinked a few times. That, strangely enough, made sense. He didn't understand how Tamazo knew his feelings were deeper than friendship, though.

Wait…

His eyes widened, looking horrified as something Tamazo said before registered in his mind. "What do you mean I'm horrible at hiding my feelings? Does everyone know?"

His partner shrugged. "I don't know, tama. I think Charo, Tiger, Garnet, and Devi knows and supports you."

Ace covered his face with his hands, groaning. "That is everyone!"

Tamazo floated closer, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "There, there, tama."

Ace groaned once more, unsure how he would face his friends after this. He noticed Tamazo didn't include his mother and wondered if she already knew.

He snorted, shaking his head. Knowing his mother, she probably already knew about his feelings for Lance before he did.

After taking some time to regain his composure (and make sure he wasn't blushing anymore), he let his hands drop and looked at Tamazo. "What about you?"

Tamazo tilted his head, confused. "Tama?"

Ace resisted the urge to look at Lance. "Do you… uh approve?"

Tamazo pointed to himself. "Tama threatened him while you were sleeping, tama," he said brightly.

" _You what_?!" His voice rose to a shrill, making his partner wince. Lance and Devi halted their conversation and looked over at him once more. This time, though, he kept his attention on Tamazo. "Tamazo. You can't threaten Lance," he scolded. Reminding himself to apologize to the white-haired boy later, he sighed. "What exactly did you say?"

The white dragon pouted, crossing his arms and looking away. "Tamazo told him he wouldn't forgive him if he hurt you," he said petulantly.

Ace groaned, dragging a hand down his face. He supposed it could be worse.

He blinked a few times, a smile forming on his face as he realized what it meant. "So you approve?"

Tamazo didn't seem to hear him, proclaiming how he would protect Ace.

Ace raised a hand and lightly bumped the top of the Tamadora's head with a fist, making the Tamadora wince more out of surprise than pain. "Listen to me when I'm speaking to you," he said, unable to keep the fondness out of his tone.

Tamazo blinked at him a few times, confused. "Did you say something, Ace?"

Resisting the urge to snort, he shook his head. "Never mind."

Just as Ace was about to ask another question, Tamazo's eyes widened and immediately floated down to the ground.

Ace looked at him, confused. "Tamazo?"

Tamazo bowed his head, taking Ace aback. "I'm sorry, tama."

The brunet tilted his head, still confused. "Sorry for what?" Had Tamazo ever bowed his head to him before?

"I'm sorry for my behavior today, tama. It was Tamazo's fault we got thrown out of a restaurant. When you were taking a nap, Tamazo went back to the restaurant and apologized, tama."

Ace gaped at him. Tamazo was… _apologizing_ for his behavior? He realized this was his chance to apologize to Tamazo and closed his mouth, bowing his own head. "I'm sorry, too. You didn't deserve me yelling at you like that. I'm sorry if I scared you."

With their heads still bowed, they looked at each other… and laughed.

It was at that point that Ace knew everything was forgiven. He had forgiven Tamazo, and Tamazo had forgiven him.

They lifted their heads up and continued to laugh. Ace didn't know why, but the situation seemed a little silly.

And they probably would've continued laughing if it weren't for a familiar voice cutting into their conversation.

"Getting thrown out of a restaurant isn't funny, devi."

Ace and Tamazo stopped laughing and looked in the direction the voice came from. They both yelped upon seeing Lance and Devi looking at them.

Ace's cheeks flushed pink as Lance looked at him. "How much did you hear?" he asked shyly.

"The whole thing, devi," Devi said, speaking before Lance could.

Ace paled, looking horrified. The whole thing? His mind raced for something to say, but his mind came up blank after several moments.

Tamazo pointed at him with one arm. "It was Ace's fault, tama!"

Ace glared at his partner. "Oi!"

"I can't believe you two, devi," Devi said. He paused for a couple of seconds before amending himself. "Well, I guess I can believe white dumpling getting thrown out of a restaurant, devi."

"Tama is innocent, tama. It was Ace's fault, tama!"

Devi huffed, crossing his arms. "Like I believe that, devi."

While the two Tamadora got into another argument, Ace stood up and walked over to Lance, scratching his cheek sheepishly at the raised eyebrow. There was a hopeful, naïve part of him that thought he wouldn't have to explain what had happened.

When Ace stopped next to him, Lance reached out for his hand. "You'll have to tell me later."

 _Of course_ , grumbled Ace. Of course Lance wouldn't let him off that easily. He felt silly, thinking Lance wouldn't care about what happened.

Lance chuckled at the annoyed look on his face, almost feeling bad.

Almost, but not quite. He was going to get that explanation even if he had to force the other to tell him.

He had the rest of the day off, and he was planning to spend it with Ace.

Unable to hold himself back, he pulled Ace in for a hug.

And although Ace was still annoyed, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his rival. He couldn't stop the smile from forming as Lance's arms wrapped around him in a protective embrace.

It turned out Ace (and Tamazo)'s feeling that something good would happen was correct.

Ace had one of the worst days in his life.

But it had one of the best endings thanks to Lance.

 **ZZZZZZZZZZZZ**

 **Author Notes:** I hope you enjoyed this story.

I was going to write a Christmas themed story, but this story ended up longer than I thought it would be. I might still write a Christmas story, but since I'm used to writing long stories, it might take me until after Christmas to finish it and post it.

Also, I have some exciting news. For those who don't know, episodes 39+ have been translated and released on Crunchyroll.

They have up to episode 46 subbed with new episodes released every Monday, so make sure you show your support by watching the episodes if you haven't already and by playing the fun mobile game.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

See you next time!


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